We get so caught up in the act of teaching our children new things that we often forget that there is a lot that we can learn from them as well. In fact, depending on the kind person you are, your child could be the biggest teacher of your life. The lessons that we learn from children are so priceless and unique, that it is nearly impossible to get that from anywhere else.
The secrets of happiness and joy in life lie in the behaviour, actions and words of our beloved children. In our world, smiles and laughter are very expensive. It takes a lot to get us ecstatic, excited or enthusiastic about something. In the world of a child, laughter and smiles are completely free and natural. Sure, children spend an awful amount of time crying and sobbing. But did you notice how quickly they recover from their temporary sadness? Very few children in the world cling on to misery. They are always on the lookout for joy and delight, and they know exactly how to get what they want.
If parents spend a little more time with their children, they will not only be benefitting their little ones, but also themselves. In fact, taking time off of your busy schedule to play around with the young ones at home can turn out to be an incredibly therapeutic experience. Most importantly, being around with children will give you a greater insight into your own life. Here are five life lessons that you can learn from the little angels:
1) Let Your Imagination Run Wild
How many times has your boss at work or your professor at school yelled at you for not being creative enough? If you are like anybody else, the answer would be one too many times. As we grow older, becoming creative gets harder. This is quite ironic because creativity is something that should come to us naturally. Working hard to boost creativity is a rather silly thing to do. It is one thing to be industrious and it is a completely different thing to be creative. Creativity spurs from the eagerness to explore and imagine.
This is something that our children excel at. They are never afraid to wander off into their world of imaginations and openly express their creativity. Whether it be playing a game or creating a masterpiece with a set of crayons, children are never afraid of using their imagination. Do you know why? It is because they could care less about what others have to say about their thoughts, ideas and opinions. If only adults could had such unrestrained imagination, then they would have never heard complaints about being uncreative.
2) Deal with One Thing at a Time
One of the biggest problems that adults face is that they fail to get their lives organized. Being disorderly, thinking about everything at once and getting involved with too many activities has become the new societal norm. In an attempt to become multitasking machines, we have ended up making our lives more difficult than ever. If you get stressed out about doing too many things simultaneously, you are never going to be able to enjoy life. Look at how children deal with this issue.
When a little girl is jumping a rope, all she concentrates on is jumping as perfectly as she can. She is fully committed and dedicated to the task at hand. If adults had done the same, their productivity levels would have been sky high.
3) Live In the Moment
If you want to live your life to the fullest, you have to live in the moment. Holding on to the regrets and miseries of the past will only slow you down in life. On the other hand, being anxious and apprehensive about the challenges that lie ahead in the future will make it extremely difficult for you to move forward confidently.
Children are hardly ever concerned about the past and the future. Their moods, emotions, words and behaviours are all based on events that are taking place in present time. Living in the moment does not free you from time management and future planning responsibilities. It simply allows you to make the best of the opportunities that present themselves.
4) Be Open to Any Idea
Once we enter adulthood, we become creatures of habit. We only like things that we are familiar and comfortable with and reject everything else that seems alien to us. The idea of staying confined within our comfort zone gives rise to ills such as racism, discrimination and prejudice.
Unlike us, children are always open-minded about everything that life has to offer to them. External factors have little to no influence on their judgements. Firsthand experience is the only thing that matters to them.
5) Take Pleasure in the Small Things
Aren’t we always on the lookout for the best things that money can buy? It is about time that we change that mindset, because it has not made our lives any better. We do not always need the most expensive shopping items to be happy with our lives. The simplest and most basic elements of life can make us as happy as a lark.
If you have ever seen a child touch a flower or splash around in a rain puddle or play with their pets, then you would know exactly how much happiness the small things in life have to offer.